Queen of Steel: Throne of Lies

Chapter 23 - Masquerade Mayhem (Grand Finale)Untitled Part 23

Helga's POV

The thunderous slam of the front door startled me as I was finishing my nightly rounds. A bone-chilling scream immediately followed, echoing through the manor's halls. My heart pounded as I rushed toward the foyer, driven by a sense of dread.

The sight that greeted me stopped me in my tracks. Miss Tahlia lay crumpled on the marble floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Her elegant evening gown was torn, diamonds from a shattered necklace scattered around her. Streaks of mascara ran down her ashen face as she clawed at the tiles, emitting guttural wails of anguish.

I had worked in this household for over two decades and had seen the young miss distraught before, but never, never like this—so completely and devastatingly undone. Her usual regal poise was shattered, replaced by a haunting hollowness in her eyes that chilled me to the bone.

"Miss Tahlia?" I whispered, cautiously approaching. She didn't seem to register my presence, trapped in her torment.

Kneeling beside her, I gently tried to gather her into my arms. "Shh, my dewdrop, you're home now, safe with old Helga."

She resisted at first, violently flinching away from my touch. But soon her convulsive sobs gave way to whimpers as she collapsed against me, limp and fever-hot.

"That's it, let it all out," I murmured, stroking her sweat-dampened hair. "Helga is here."

"Helga, w-why does father... hates me...this much?" she gasped between ragged breaths. "I can't... I can't be like him." Her whole body shook uncontrollaby with each word.

Her words cut deep, each one a testament to the wounds inflicted not just by tonight's events but by a lifetime of torment. The pain of living under her father's tyrannical rule, the constant struggle to assert her own identity against the monstrous shadow he cast, was all laid bare in her sobs.

I held her tighter, my own tears falling into her hair. "You're nothing like him, Miss Tahlia. You are good, selfless, and strong. You're loved, more than you'll ever know. And we'll get through this, together."

For what felt like an eternity, I rocked her, whispering soothing words and humming lullabies.

"Please tell Allistair... I'm not like my dad... I-I'm not a monster." She cluctch tightly to me as if her life depended on it."I-I need Ally."

My heart broke at the naked desperation in her tremulous voice. Miss Tahlia idolized that fine young man, my poor love-addled girl. Whatever fresh trauma she'd endured, she craved his steadying presence with every fiber of her being.

"Shhh, he'll be here soon, I promise," I soothed, rocking her gently. "But first, let's get you into something more comfortable, hmm?"

She offered no resistance as I scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom, her slender frame weighing next to nothing in my arms. An unnatural heat radiated from her body. I carefully peeled off her ruined gown and slipped a soft cotton nightdress over her head before depositing her on the sumptuous bed.

No sooner had I tucked her in than she started thrashing, eyes wild and unseeing.

"No! Daddy, please...I'm your daughter!" she cried out in a strangled voice, back arching off the mattress.

My blood ran cold at the dreadful implications of her delirious plea. That wretched, evil man - God only knew the horrors he'd inflicted on this poor child over the years...

I hurried to her side, clasping her feverish hands in mine. "Shhh, dewdrop, you're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore."

Tahlia whimpered plaintively, clutching my hands in a vice grip. "D-don't leave, Ally... please save me too...not just her." She seemed trapped in a nightmare, fighting off invisible demons.